POWER AND OUTCOME

The legend continues!

I love reviewing prog, but I definitively love reviewing albums from Mexican bands (I am Mexican) whose talent should be noticed even in the furthest frontiers. One of those bands is Cast, a legendary band with over 30 years of belonging to this amazing musical realm that gives us a lot of satisfaction. Cast has a prolific discography with some line-up changes but with an intact symphonic prog spirit, which can be appreciated in this new 2017 release Power and Outcome, an album I like a lot and that comprises a magnificent line-up in which Carlos Humar'n returns to the band on bass, along with the inclusion of violin-maestro Roberto Izzo. In this album I noticed also singer Bobby Vidales much more comfortable and with a mature voice, and of course, Alfonso Vidales continues creating amazing compositions with the sum of the talents of Antonio Bringas on drums, Claudio Cordero on guitar and Lupita Acu'a on backing vocals.

I recently could see them live and I must say this line-up knows the business, I mean, they are friends and family, so what they share in concert is as great as in studio, their current live sound is amazing, which is why I am really happy to know they are touring and happy to know I will see them again soon in Chicago, when the Progtoberfest takes place. Well, this new album is very solid, maybe a bit long, it has a symphonic tendency for the likes of people who love old school prog and neo-prog. It features 10 songs and a running time of 70 minutes.

The album opens with the bombastic 'Rules of the Desert', a 12-minute epic in which Vidales and co. take us to a wonderful journey of first class instrumental prog, there are some vocals whispered, though, but not sang yet. Cordero's guitar offers its first solo at minute two; he's been a crucial member of Cast this new millennium. Izzo and his violin has also been a wonderful addition to the band, adding classical, jazzy and even metal nuances to this symphonic prog feast. Keyboards are outstanding as usual, Alfonso Vidales is a first-class keyboard player and composer, believe me. The title track comes next. 'Power and Outcome' brings vocals for the first time, Bobby Vidales as I mentioned earlier, is now a very mature singer, his voice produces loads of nuances and emotions, of course, the music might guide its strength, but his voice is a very good instrument on Cast's music.

A two-part suite entitled 'Details' comes next. First 'Circle Spins' brings a soft and tender sound, maybe a bit pop- oriented. After the first bombastic tracks they made a considerable change with this first part of the track, which is a bit weaker. Its second part is 'Start Again', is instrumental and much faster and elaborate than its predecessor, here we can find the perfect synergy between strings and drums. It is much more powerful and enjoyable, without a doubt. 'Through Stained Glass' is a great song where their potential is shown every single minute. Both, the instrumental and vocal passages are great, once again I point out the violin's participation because it is something we weren't use to enjoy in Cast's music, so its addition has hit the nail.

One of the best tracks has to be the amazing 'Illusions and Tribulations', almost 10 minutes of authentic progressive rock in which all the instruments play an important role. As you can imagine, it brings a salad of sounds and a diversity of changes that let our mind play and picture different passages. The first half of the song is completely instrumental, then it slows down and vocals appear and a new passage is created for like 3 minutes, then the last part becomes more emotional and when it finishes you will have a smile on your face, I assure you. You will not take a deep breath because 'The Gathering' starts right away with a fast spirit and believe me, that spirit prevails the whole track, so be ready for another bombastic symphonic episode here.

'Conquest' is a very visual track, I mean, it sounds like a soundtrack of some film so one can imagine different things while the music speaks. This is a nice short instrumental song. Another short one is 'Full Circle', piano and vocals are here first, then the other instruments join little by little, creating a nice soft atmosphere that leads to 'Dialect for the 21st Century', the last song of the album, a very good track to finish an extraordinary, lengthy but solid album by Cast. Not to be missed.

Enjoy it!

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